Why not make a bit for French striker Maupay? He's quick, scores goals, gets plenty of assists and can play as a striker, attacking midfielder or a winger. His style of play reminds me of Jermain Defoe except he's a better passer and only 22.

Thoughts?

Maupay would certainly be no more of a gamble than some of the others we have been linked with. He would offer the team a different alternative to the likes of Benteke, Sorloth and Wickham. Quick, can score all kinds of goals and from what I’ve seen of him a real threat in and around the 18 yard box.

Guess the question would be how much it would take to get him. Considering what we paid for Sorloth, West Ham paid for Hugill, Bournemouth just paid for Solanke I would not be surprised that figure to top 20m.

Gambles are respective of the price you pay.

You seem to suggest that he would cost the same amount as the others we're linked with.

I like him all right and I think that everyone does, but I think that the ship has sailed in his case. He should have been taken since he was a goalscorer in the French second division. I don't want to brag, but if I had been at the club, he could have been a Palace player 2 years ago for a small fee.

Now, after everyone can read his numbers in the Championship, everybody wants him. This is not the time to go after a player. Say you pay 25 million for him and he has a bad phase in the PL and doesn't score. Can you get those million back next summer? No, cause no PL clubs will want him if he doesn't cut it. So, he's a pretty big gamble. Wouldn't have been so big a few years ago though....

This post has been merged from a topic called 'Maupay(costs 15M+) compared to Ligue 2 top scorer ' by bexleydave

I noticed Neal Maupay gets a lot of love on this website. I like Maupay a lot. But he would also come very pricey now that he's made himself a name in the English football. And you know where Maupauy came from? The Ligue 2 in France.

Came to Brentford after scoring 11 goals and providing 3 assists in Dijon and St Etienne at 19 and 20 years old (so 14 in 3100 minutes- a great rate for a 20 year old, but obviously he was to develop even further from that age)

At Brentford he has 29 goals and 11 assists in 2 years until the age of 22 (-4 cause they were penalties that gives him 25+11= 36 in 4700 minutes, a great return)

[Link]

Of course he wouldn't have the same return a division higher, but I think he could score the same number in about 7000 minutes of football, so he'd have in the PL roughly a goal or an assist every 200 minutes or so. For a 22-23 year it's actually good.

But they are asking 20 million for him (read an Aston Villa news saying they demanded that) and would surely not settle for any less than 15-16.

That's why I want to compare Maupay with the top scorer from the Ligue 2. HABIB DIALLO, Senegalese, is 23, so similar age with Maupay. What has he done until now?

Well, in the last 2 years he scored 24 and assisted 9 (-4 which were penalties he still has 29 in 3500 minutes, kind of like Maupay's record in England and trust me, there isn't much difference between the English 2nd league and the French 2nd league, just slightly)

And the 2 years before that? Did he grow up well until 21? He scored 17 and assisted 6 in 2900 minutes. Amazing for a 19-20 year old in Ligue 2! And he played a lot as winger too, which Maupay hasn't.

[Link]

Not trying to do anything against Maupay with this post, but prices in England are about 3x more inflated than in France. I can see Metz selling Diallo for as litle as 5-6 million.

Also, Diallo is a center forward at 1,86 in height. Maupay is more like a second striker at 1,75.

I don't know if the transfer is possible though because of work permit reglations, Habib Diallo is a national team component, but he has just began to play for them and doesn't have the number of games the FA requires. However, they should realize that a top scorer od the French second division at 23 is big investment for the future.

Also, there is 22 year old MOUSSA KONE from Dynamo Dresden, also Senegalese, at 1,75 in height is similar to Maupay, very strong, very good, capable of playing on the wings too, would be very cheap at 4-5 million at most considering what he'd offer: 42 goals and 13 assists in 5000 minutes for Dynamo Dresden and FC Zurich of Switzerland. That's more goals and assists than hundreds of minutes played!

[Link]

Dynamo Dresden has bought him for just 2 million, I'm sure they'd sell for around 4-5, but again, there could be problems relating to work permit.

However, I'd really like to see a Senegalese partnership of Moussa Kone (shorter striker) and Habib Diallo (center forward type) up front for Crystal Palace. This is a phenomenal partnership of player you could sell for more than 40 million each in a few years.

Edited by mattteo (10 Jan 2019 5.52pm)

This post has been merged from a topic called 'Maupay(costs 15M+) compared to Ligue 2 top scorer ' by bexleydave

Great post like it. On those figures I'd personally like to see more about the lad at Dresden.

Have you thought of offering your services to Palace? This kind of information would surely justify putting a scout on a plane to Dresden, surely?

Given our record with transfers, I'm not confident this sort of research is currently being done in house!